The Legend of Zelda, Twilight Blade
by HylianBlade
Summary: Three weeks after Ganondorf's defeat, a new problem arises. Short Story
1. Chapter 1, Prelude to Destruction

**Chapter 1**

**Prelude to Destruction**

Princess Midna looked over her kingdom of twilight from her palace balcony. Link had called it eerie during his short visit in the Twilight Realm, but Midna had always found it beautiful. The translucent golden clouds, the aura of red that always marked the horizon, and song of the world that whispered in her ears; these were but some of the few things that glorified her realm, her world. Her people, the Twili, lived here in peace, thanks to the fall of the usurper Zant. Zant had dared to curse her into the form of an imp. He had dared to proclaim himself as King Zant of the Twilight Realm. He actually dared to disfigure her poor people into beasts of the twilight.

He had even dared to ally himself with the evil champion of the Goddesses, Ganondorf.

But all that was over. Ganondorf was dead and Zant was imprisoned, all thanks to Link. In some ways, Midna was grateful that Zant had cursed her striking frame into that of a pitiful imp. Without her majesty title, she was able to meet the Sacred Beast of Legend and closest friend, Link, and that meant more to her than she could possibly imagine.

That made it all the more painful when she forcibly separated herself from him. The Mirror of Twilight, the gateway between the Twilight Realm and the Realm of Light, was the reason Zant was able to wreck so much havoc on Hyrule. In order to prevent another Zant from bringing havoc to Link's world, Midna used her status as the true Twilight Princess to shatter the Mirror of Twilight for good, forever breaking the bond between herself and Link, her world and his. She still had nightmares, seeing Link's pained expression as she bid him a farewell neither of them wanted. From time to time, she wondered how her life would have continued, if she had kept the Mirror of Twilight and remained at Link's side. The warrior and the imp, the heroes of Hyrule. Midna indulged herself in the delight in her imagination, but did not spare herself for long. She was a princess, a ruler. Her happiness was a non-existent fantasy; the safety and well being of her people must always come before her, always. Her own feelings were irrelevant. Midna must never associate with Link or the Realm of Light ever again. She had visited Link once after shattering the Mirror of Twilight, violating a sacred law her family had kept for generations, and now she was reaping what she had sown.

The Mirror of Twilight was the front door between the Twilight Realm and the Realm of Light, and if there was a front door, there most certainly was a back door. No one, not even Zant, had ever known about the back door. Only members of the royal family were ever told that secret, along with two promises: One, they would protect the back door until their dying breath, and Two, they would never, ever use the back door for selfish reasons. Midna had used the back door to see Link one last time after shattering the Mirror of Twilight, just to see if he was in good health. Her careless use of the back door had reached the ears of the Twilight Council, and they were now possessed by the same idea that once seized Zant himself: domination of the Realm of Light.

The Twilight Council were the oldest of Twili, assigned to watch over the royal family to ensure that they do not step beyond their royal boundaries. During Zant's rule, the Twilight Council had been temporarily disbanded under Zant's oppression, but was reformed once Midna reclaimed her rightful throne. However, the Twilight Council were scarred deeply during Zant's reign of terror; they feared their lack of power to fight against another oppressive ruler. They were infuriated with Midna's choice to destroy the Mirror of Twilight without their consent. The moment the Twilight Council caught wind of the back door to the Realm of the Light, they became enthralled by the idea of power. They had heard legends of the two remaining champions of the Goddesses, and they wanted that power. Now that they knew of the back door's existence, they would stop at nothing to use it for their own purposes and send their private armies to Hyrule. They would attack Link and Zelda, two friends whom Midna dearly wished to protect. Once they claimed the power of the Goddesses for themselves, Midna knew that they would not stop there. With the taste of the sacred wine on their lips, they would push their armies farther into Hyrule, and bring about another dark age for the ancient kingdom.

Midna could not allow it.

"My princess?"

Midna turned around, relieved to see Diana, a very close childhood friend of hers. Midna knelt to her knees, so that she could properly see her old friend.

"Diana, do you have what I told you to bring?"

The small Twili girl nodded, gentle grasping an object hidden beneath her oversized cloak. "My princess…are you sure about this? The Twilight Council will cause you no end of grief should you—"

"I know what I am doing," Midna said gently, stroking Diana's cheek. "Now please, listen carefully. Once you make your way to the Realm of Light, there is no telling where you will appear. Be sure to avoid the Magical Spirits of the Springs, the Land Gods of the Springs, for they do not take kindly to our kind. No matter what you encounter, you must reach either Link or Princess Zelda, for they are the only people in the Realm of Light whom you can trust."

"I will. You can count on me," Diana replied.

Midna gave her a sad smile. "I know I can."

Then from outside Midna's royal chambers, the Twilight Princess heard a commotion stirring. Armed Twili Warriors were headed her way, no doubt coming to retrieve the back door to the Realm of Light. Midna gave Diana a final, solemn nod. Diana clutched the object hidden beneath her travel cloak. Slowly, the space in front of Diana began to break apart as the building blocks of space and time were being taken apart and rearranged. Ever so slowly, a portal of light opened up before Diana. The Twili Warriors burst into Midna's room just in time to see Diana jumping into the portal, a portal to the Realm of Light.

"After her!" a ragged voice commanded. Five of the largest and strongest Twili Warriors, Royal Twilight Warriors, stumbled forward and disappeared into the portal before it closed.

Midna stood up to greet the old Twili councilor. He was a frail creature who swayed and teetered with even the slightest of winds, but the aura of charisma he produced from his scrawny frame made even the toughest of Twili Guards bow before him.

"Goth'ma," Midna said, hissing the name like a curse. "You will not have it."

The Twili councilor chuckled, almost killing himself with a spasm of coughs. "We shall see, my dear princess. Just how long did you think you could oppose us, the Twilight Council?"

"Long enough," Midna replied, as her own guards surrounded her and took her captive.


	2. Chapter 2, Just an Ordinary Day

**Chapter 2**

**Just an Ordinary Day**

Link woke up with a yawn, stretching his arms and blinking the sleep from his eyes. He dropped his feet onto the floor, almost tripping over his Iron Boots as he stood up.

"Ow, ow!" Link shouted, bouncing on one foot as he held his throbbing toe. "Ilia was right, I really should clean up."

It had been three weeks since Link's epic clash with Ganondorf, Demon Thief and one of the chosen champions of the Goddesses. The wounds he suffered during his fight with Ganondorf had completely healed by now. The only dilemma he faced now was tidying his room. He had acquired a lot of rare items during his journey to save Hyrule, and since he had no desire to put each item and every item back where he found them, he decided to keep them. The main problem with that decision was that he did not have much room for so many collectibles in his single house. His Ancient Sky Book was on his table, being used as a cup holder (Shad would die of shock if he saw that). His two Clawshots hung from the walls, dangling dried laundry from their chains. The bombs he saved from his adventure were scattered across the floor, making his room just as dangerous as a minefield. He was even using the Coral Earrings Ralis, the Zora leader and Prince, had given him as spoons to stir his afternoon tea. His many other items were also being used for conventional purposes which didn't suit their primary functions. Link had to be sure Ilia never came in to visit; she'd throw a fit the world had never and would not want to see.

Annoyed that his house was so cramped, Link quickly dressed to escape from his messy utopia. He had to consciously hold himself back from putting on his old Hero's Clothes and go with the Ordon Village clothing. He ran his fingers through his golden hair in a vain attempt to straighten it, and had a few spoonfuls of leftover Superb Soup for breakfast. It was a recipe he learned from Yeto the yeti in the Snowpeak Ruins, and he still loved it.

Looking in the mirror and satisfied that he was presentable, Link kicked open the door and greeted the new day. Every summer day in Ordon Village was a beautiful day. Link jumped down from his front door, greeted the grazing Epona next to his house, and walked over to the main village.

The main village of Ordon was just as lively as ever. Rusl was making baby noises with his youngest son and baby, Tink. His wife Uli was tending to the laundry near the streamside. Mayor Bo was bringing down the pain on Fado for losing another two more Ordon goats. Old man Jaggle was tending to his pumpkins while his sons and wife, Talo, Malo and Pergie, were talking business. Even though Malo was the second youngest in the village, five years old, he already ran a chain of successful stores called Malo Market. The kid was a millionare, but his parents had decided to hold onto his rupees until Malo was old enough. Sera, owner of the Ordon convenient store, was grooming her cat while her husband Hanch was trying to pry Link's Hero's Bow from their daughter's, Beth's, hands.

_So that's where it went_, Link thought, watching Hanch successfully pull the Hero's Bow from his daughter's hands only to accidentally smack a beehive right above his head.

The only two missing were Colin, a small but brave kid, and Ilia, Link's childhood friend. If the two of them were both missing, then they were probably at Ordon Spring, the home of Ordona, a spirit embodying of the land Ordona. Colin and Ilia were meeting together quite often these days. Link began to wonder what the two of them were secretly doing.

"Link! Finally woke up, have you?" Rusl called, hoisting his baby boy onto his shoulders. "Looks like the mighty Hero of Hyrule is having a bad hair day today as well!"

"And it looks like Rusl is playing goat from the wrangler Tink once again," Link said, walking up to Rusl and giving Tink a playful tummy poke.

"So what brings Hyrule's finest to our humble village?"

"Just checking the sights, really," Link said, playing along. "Quite a fine village you have here, if I must say so myself."

"You can walk from miles and travel every corner of our noble earth, but you'll never find a village as beautiful as ours," Rusl said with a bow. Tink tried to mimic his father's movement; it was heartwarming to see. "I must say! I'm curious to see the skills of the fabled Hero of Hyrule! What say you, are you up for a little bout?"

Link looked over Rusl's shoulder, watching Uli mouth out the words "take-it-easy-on-him-please".

"Why not?" Link said, catching the makeshift wooden blade Rusl tossed his way. Rusl gently handed Tink over to Uli and picked up his own wooden weapon.

"En garde, Hero! Show me what you're made of!" Rusl shouted as he lunged, stabbing at Link's chest. Link easily deflected the attack and swung his own wooden sword at Rusl's side, who jumped back to evade it. Rusl sent a flurry of attacks at Link, but Link simply dodged or pushed aside each of the blows. Compared to the killing strokes that Ganondorf threw at Link, Rusl's attacks seemed practically harmless, but that didn't mean Link wasn't going to enjoy himself.

When Rusl pulled back his wooden blade after an attack, Link closed the distance between the two of them and rammed his shoulder into Rusl, pulling off a shiedless Shield Attack. With Rusl off balance, Link jumped into the air with a mighty leap, flipping as he brought his wooden sword down on Rusl's head, thwacking him clean on the head with a Helm Splitter. Rusl fell to his knees, dropping his own wooden sword as he rubbed the growing bruise on his head.

"I've been a swordsman for quite a number of years, Link, but I still don't know where you picked up those crazy moves," Rusl said with a chuckle. "Another win to you. With all these loses, you're making me feel old!"

"LINK!"

The panic-struck voice shot across the village. Link quickly turned towards the voice; it was Ilia, limping towards the village, covering a deep laceration on her arm with her hand. The sight of Ilia's blood made Link's own blood boil. He and almost every other Ordon villager rushed to her side to quickly apply first aid.

"Ilia! What happened?" Link asked, catching his friend before she fell.

"I-I'm not sure. There was this girl, and she was being chased by these monsters. They all just came out of nowhere!"

"What about Colin? Where's my boy Colin?" Rusl demanded as his wife Uli quickly bandaged Ilia's wound.

"Colin tried to hold them off. He told me to take the girl and run to get help. I couldn't even help him…I was barely even able to get away by myself. I'm so sorry!" Ilia said, allowing tears to run down her cheeks.

Seeing his strong-hearted friend broken down like this, the only emotion Link could muster was sheer loathing.

"Hanch! My bow!" Link shouted. The bee-stung elder stumbled over, tossing Link's Hero Bow towards its owner. Link snatched his bow out of the air, took one of Rusl's wooden practice swords, and ran towards his house. Epona could sense the urgency in Link's strides. The smart horse quickly trotted towards him, allowing Link to mount with ease before galloping off towards the Ordon Spring.

Link didn't know what these monsters were or where they came from, but he knew one solid fact: These monsters had hurt his friends, and now they were going to face the consequences.


	3. Chapter 3, The Hero Arrives

**Chapter 3**

**The Hero Arrives**

Diana knew she was in a bad situation. Sure, she was a secluded Twili girl who had been protected by the Twilight Royal Family for thousands of years, barely knowing anything about the Realm of Light, but even she could tell she was in trouble. After jumping into the portal that connected the two realms, she immediately hit water. It wasn't deep water, but it was seriously dangerous water. The moment she touched it, she could sense the holy energy resounding in the liquid. A quick look around told her everything she needed to know; she was in one of the Land God's Springs, something Princess Midna had strictly forbidden her from entering.

Diana fumbled to her feet, trying to crawl out of the Land God's Spring. The few sprinkles of water that clung to her skin weighted her down like a ton of Twili bricks. Then hands began to pull her to her feet. She hadn't noticed them before, but two humans were at the Land God's Spring with her, and they were slowly dragging her out of the water, away from the Land God's bubbling wrath. There was one younger human boy, and an older human girl. Diana didn't pay any more attention to the details, because she noticed that she had made a grave error. The portal she had opened to enter the Realm of Light was still open; she had kept it open long enough for five Royal Twilight Guards to come burst out, weapons at the ready.

Diana wondered if she could possibly get into any more trouble, and apparently she could. One small Twili girl, the Guardian Ordona could tolerate that. Now that there were five, fully armored and armed Royal Twilight Guards desecrating the Land God's waters, the Guardian Ordona was clearly infuriated. An orb of light tore its way out of the water. In seconds, threads of pure magic wove their way around the orb, creating a vibrant, and terrifying form of a powerful goat: the spirit Ordona

Ordona let out a massive cry, sending a blast of holy magic bursting from the spring. Diana was thrown clear out of the spring, along with four of the other Royal Twili Guards. The last Royal Twili Guard wasn't nearly as lucky; he took in the full force of Ordona's rage, and his body was purged. Princess Midna had once been purged by the spirit Lanayru and almost died, but was saved by Princess Zelda of Hyrule. This poor Royal Twili Guard had no princess to save his day, and slumped to the ground as a dying heap. The two humans looked stunned but were otherwise untouched and unharmed.

The human boy began to shout at the human girl, probably giving orders while arming himself with what appeared to be a stick. The boy was actually going to fight some of the most rigorously trained warriors of the Twilight with a stick? Was he brave, or just mental? The human girl was protesting, but the human boy pushed her away as one of the Royal Twilight Warriors attacked him. The girl ran towards Diana, holding out her hand to help Diana to her feet. Another Royal Twilight Warrior slashed at the girl with his black sword, tearing open a deep cut in her arm. Injured and severely bleeding, the girl had no choice but to flee.

Three of the Royal Twilight Warriors closed on Diana, reaching out to grab her with their four fingered hands.

"Don't touch her!" the boy shouted, evading his foe and ramming his shoulder into the side of one of the Royal Twilight Warriors, causing him to fall onto his comrades and tip the other two over like dominos. "Come on!" The boy grabbed Diana by the hand, pulling her on her feet and dragging her away.

"Where are we going?" Diana asked, peering over her shoulder to see the Royal Twilight Warriors stand back on their feet and pursue her once more.

"To safety!" the boy replied, slipping around the trees of the Ordon woods. He didn't explain any more than that as he darted between trees, always finding the easiest way through the woods while the Royal Twilight Warriors stumbled clumsily past thick underbrush and low hanging branches. The boy was using his home ground to his advantage. Maybe he was smarter than what she previously gave him credit for. It was only a matter of time before the Royal Twilight Warriors started using their heads as well. They began to fan out, using their massive, black blades to chop down trees with a single swing and slice past the wood's other obstacles. Soon enough, Diana and the human boy were forced into a clearing and surrounded by the four Royal Twilight Warriors. The boy lifted his wooden stick as a last attempt at defiance, but one of the Twilight Warriors simply grabbed the tip of the stick and yanked it from the boy's hands. Even weaponless, the boy refused to back down, pushing Diana behind him, shielding her from the Twilight Warriors. She had to admire the boy's courage, but courage wasn't going to protect the boy from the twili blade that one of the Twilight Warriors was raising in order to chop the boy in two.

_Twang!_ Something hissed through the air, piercing the Twilight Warrior who had moved to strike the human boy. An arrow was protruding from the center of the Twilight Warrior's chest. The wounded soldier staggered around, and two more arrows buried themselves into his body.

From over a hundred feet away and closing in distance, a young man steering a cheery red horse with only his legs was firing arrow after arrow at the Twilight Warrior. The Twilight Warrior took several more arrows, five to his chest and three to his head, before he collapsed. The remaining three Twilight Warriors refocused their attention on the new threat.

"Link!" the human boy shielding Diana breathed in relief.

_Link? This is one of the humans Princess Midna told me the find?_ Diana wondered, giving the young man a full analyzing glare. He was a young man of about seventeen years of age, with flowing gold hair, hard blue eyes, and a lean but powerful figure. Diana supposed that he must be considered good looking in human terms, but she thought this Link character could use a little make-up.

The moment the Hero Link was in distance, he leapt from his horse's back and planted his feet into the closest Twilight Warrior's helmet, knocking the six feet tall soldier back. With the Twilight Warrior flat on his back and weighed down by his heavily padded armor, Link pulled out the wooden sword tied to his back. At first, Diana wanted to rebuke Link for actually trying to killed a highly armored Twilight Warrior with a stick, but then she saw Link shove the end of the wooden sword into a small gap between the Twilight Warrior's armor padding, completely impaling the Twilight Warrior and ending his life with just a stick.

With Link's wooden sword jammed in their fallen comrade, the last two Twilight Warriors swung their blades at Link. Link released the end of his wooden sword, rolling back and grabbing a small twig lying on the grass. Now Diana really wanted to laugh at Link's choice of weapons; the twig Link had grabbed wasn't even a foot long, and was thin enough to snap with a good pinch.

Diana ate her words at what she saw next. The skinny twig Link held in his hand was beginning to glow with an orange hue. With a mighty war scream, Link swung the glowing twig at the air in front of the two Twilight Warriors, and a shockwave of raw power exploded from the tip of the twig. One of the Twilight Warriors used his partner as a shield, forcing the unlucky warrior to take the full brunt of the attack.

Diana had heard Princess Midna tell her stories of that attack. _The Great Spin!_ Diana watched in awe as the power wave ripped through the Twilight Warrior's armor as if it were a piece of parchment, blasting the poor chap several feet into the air so that he landed with a painful crunch.

Even with his head armored and his expressions hidden, Diana could tell the last remaining Twilight Warrior was utterly terrified from the way it kept pacing away from Link. Link dropped what remained of the twig, which had mostly disintegrated due to the raw power it had momentarily contained. Link took two steps closer to the Twilight Warrior, and the Twilight Warrior took four steps back.

In a last ditch attempt, the Twilight Warrior threw his weapon at Link before turning his back to Link and fleeing. Link caught the weapon thrown at him by the handle, gave it a few twirls, and then chucked it back and its owner. The blade impaled the fleeing Twilight Warrior, killing him on the spot.

Just like that, Link had defeated four of the Twilight Realm's most powerful foot soldiers. This was the man Princess Midna had told Diana to find.

"You okay, Colin?" Link asked the younger human.

"I'm okay. Did Ilia make it back to the village okay?"

"She was hurt bad, but Uli is taking care of her now. She'll be okay."

The human boy, Colin, began to look infuriated with himself. "I'm sorry. If only I were stronger, I could have protected Ilia. I'm sorry."

Link gave Colin a gentle smile. "You did the best you could. Look at the bright side. You were able to protect our friend here long enough for me to arrive. Speaking of which," Link turned to Diana, giving her a hard stare, "who are you?"

Diana blessed Link with a small curtsy, but before she could properly introduce herself, she caught a bit of movement in the corner of her eyes. The Twilight Warrior Link had struck with his Great Spin was back on his feet, silently lunging at Link with his sword pointed directly at Link's heart. Link's attention was still focused on Diana; neither he nor Colin noticed the Twilight Warrior behind them.

Although Diana had once vowed to herself that she would never allow anyone to wield her again, both her destiny as well as Princess Midna's depended on Link's well being. Diana grabbed one of Link's hands with her own, shouting "Swing me!" Link finally realized the approaching threat behind him. The Hero reacted on instinct, pulling Diana off her feet and swinging her feet at the Twilight Warrior's head to knock the warrior off balance.

Diana had a better idea. The moment her hands touch Link's, she began to transform. In Link's mid-swing, Diana's form began to thin out, elongate, and sharpen. When Link side-stepped the Twilight Warrior's sword and swung Diana, she had fully morphed into an obsidian blade, looping off the Twilight Warrior's head with one fell swoop. The Twilight Warrior's headless body crumpled to its knees, and Diana enjoyed watching Link's stunned expression when he realized that what he held was no longer a little girl, but a three feet long sword with a jagged hand guard and black-as-night blade.

"_I guess I have some explaining to do_," Diana said, letting her voice fill the flabbergasted Hero's head.

* * *

That's all for now, folks.

Feel free to leave a comment!


	4. Chapter 4, the Twilight Blade

**Chapter 4**

**The Twilight Blade**

Everyone was meeting at the mayor's house, and Link meant everyone. Ilia was resting on her bed with a heavily bandaged arm, but was paying full attention. Mayor Bo was at the head of her bed with Uli and Pergie seated next to Ilia's bed. The baby Tink was sleepin in Uli's arms. Rusl, Jaggle, and Hanch were putting on their serious, alpha male faces while Talo, Malo, and Colin were giving their strange visitor cautious glances. Sera stayed next to her daughter Beth, looking as if they were afraid that Diana could bite. Fado, who had been humbled by Mayor Bo, sat on the floor with his knees folded but his eyes wary. Diana stood in the center of the room, under the intense scrutiny of the citizens of Ordon; it didn't seem to bother her.

Link took another moment to size Diana up. She was, without a doubt, a citizen of the Twilight Realm. Her face was impossibly pale, but small and cute. She wore a single black robe designed with cryptic glowing patterns that Link had seen all too much times on Twili structures. Diana's small eyes were an astonishing white with blank pupils, but had an eerie twinkle whenever she looked at him. In terms of height, even at her tallest, she only came up to Link's chest.

Diana claimed that she had come from the Twilight Realm with a message from Midna. Under normal circumstances, Link would have been breaking bread with Diana, asking her how Midna was doing these past three weeks. However, these were hardly normal times; Twili Warriors had attack and almost killed Ilia and Colin. Such a provocation from the denizens of the Twilight could only mean that things were not going well on Midna's side. Diana wished to explain Midna's predicament to Link, but Link told her to save her story for a little later. He wanted everyone in Ordon to hear Diana's story, because it involved them as much as it did him now.

With everyone gathered at Mayor Bo's house, it was time to start the storytelling. Link gave Diana a small nod, encouraging her to start.

The Twili girl cleared her throat. "I am Diana, messenger of Princess Midna, Ruler of the Twilight Realm. I was sent here by my princess to find the Hero of Time, Link, or the Princess of Hyrule, Princess Zelda, for trouble is brewing."

"So what kind of trouble are you talking about?" Mayor Bo demanded sourly; his daughter had been injured and nearly killed, and he wanted answers.

"A new danger threatens your realm." Diana replied.

"Is it Zant?" Link asked.

"No, it is not. Zant the Usurper is being held within the deepest prisons of the Twilight, bound by the strongest chains, imprisoned by the sturdiest of barriers, and locked away behind the thickest of walls. His magic has been sealed, his movements have been taken, and his mind has been locked. He is a threat no more."

"So what kinda threat are you talking about then?" Rusl asked, spending too much time inspecting his fingernails.

"The Twilight Council. They are the most ancient of Twili and have helped every known king and queen of the Twilight to rule our realm with justice and peace."

Link rubbed his temple; he didn't recall Midna telling him anything about a Twilight Council. "Where was this Twilight Council when Zant took over?"

"Shattered. Before Zant attacked Princess Midna, he broke apart the Twilight Council. He threatened their lives and families if they did not comply with his demands. Now they live in fear," Diana said.

"Fear of this Zant fella?" Jaggle asked. "Don't they got him locked away?"

Diana shook her head. "It's is not Zant which they fear—"

"It's Zant's actions that they fear, right?" Link finished. Diana looked surprised, like she couldn't believe Link was possible of such coherent thought. Link found it a little insulting. "The Twilight Council are afraid of someone else taking up Zant's mantle and ideas, using power to oppress them before trying to take over the Twilight Realm."

"That…is correct. As a fellow member of the Twili, it shames me to say this, but the members of the Twilight Council are utter cowards. Certainly, they speak big words and show their supposed superiority whenever they have the opportunity, but once you take away the guards that protect them and the confidence that supports them, they become nothing more than frail, old, despicable Twili that can only beg for mercy like the dogs that they are." The venom Diana used to describe the Twilight Council told Link everything he needed to know.

"The Twilight Council is the new threat, isn't it?" Link said.

Diana looked utterly dumbfound again. Now Link wanted to punch her.

Colin spoke out before Link could raise a fist. "Wait, I don't get it. Didn't you say that the Twilight Council helps enforce justice and peace? Then why did they suddenly attack us?"

"Justice and peace are just words, Colin," Link said, wondering if he should really be explaining these things to a child. "They're fancy words people in high places use to control the masses. They can throw around words like 'peace' and 'justice' all they want, but there's no such thing. The _peace_ and the _justice_ they talk about can only come from the pain and suffering of others."

"You're smarter than Princess Midna gave you credit for," Diana murmured, clearly oblivious to the fact that Link was clearly in hearing range. It seemed that if Link ever reunited with Midna, their reunion was going to be filled with grinding knuckles and pinches rather than hugs and smiles.

"Let me get something straight," Rusl said. "These old…Twili guys are the new threat? Surely that can't be any worse than Ganondorf, the Demon Thief! Besides, we've got the Hero of Time on our side! You saw what he did to those brutes that were chasing you."

"I did. It was most admirable." Diana complimented. "But do not underestimate the Twilight Council. Certainly, I said that once they are stripped of their armies and confidence, they are powerless. However, now they have regained both. In a way they can be more dangerous than a thousand Demon Thieves, for they are cunning and cruel, and do not fear to exercise their devious devises."

"I'm sorry, but something just isn't making sense," Link said. "There's only one way to get from the Twilight Realm to the Realm of Light, and that's by using the Mirror of Twilight. But I saw Midna break the Mirror of Twilight into a million pieces. Even if those pieces were gathered, it'd still be impossible to fix the Mirror of Twilight. Yet, here you are, from the Twilight Realm, followed by five others from the same realm, probably by the Twilight Council you were talking about with so much hate. The Mirror of Twilight wasn't the only gateway connecting our realms, was it?"

"You are correct, Hero of Time. I must rethink my prior image of you. I used to believe you were nothing more than a brute with a sword, and Princess Midna and Princess Zelda supplied the brains. Clearly I have been proven wrong."

"I will stab you."

Rusl stepped between Link and Diana before Link could do anything rash. "Alright, calm down, my boy." Rusl turned and faced Diana. "Okay, so there's another way for you Twili folk to waltz into our world. What's the big deal?"

"It's an invasion," Diana answered. "As I said before, the Twilight Council fears another Zant may appear. In order to fight such a threat, they wish for…no, they're craving for power. They have been captivated by the powers of the Goddesses within the Hero of Time and the Princess of Hyrule, the power that defeated Zant and destroyed the Demon Thief, Ganondorf. They need the second gateway into the Realm of Light in order to claim that power for themselves."

"What?" Mayor Bo shouted, slamming a fist into a supporting beam of the house. The entire building creaked and wobbled; the old man still had it in him. "If they think can just walking into our world and take away a precious friend and dear princess to our hearts, they're wrong!" Everyone in the house agreed with Mayor Bo's words with a series of nods.

"They're possessed," Diana corrected. "Possessed by the wanting for power, and they'll stop at nothing to gain it. No, even if they manage to take the powers of the Goddesses from the Hero of Time and Princess of Hyrule, their ambitions will not stop there. Their thirst for power will ravage them even more, and they will move to conquer Hyrule."

"Ha! They'll find that our world is not so easy to conquer!" Mayor Bo laughed.

"Actually, it will be ridiculously easy to take over. Hyrule has been weakened by the attacks from the Demon Thief. Your soldiers are just barely regaining their moral, and their numbers are still too few. Hyrule Castle's defenses are in tatters, and your own political leaders are too busy squabbling for profit and territory to raise a decent fighting force. The Twilight Army would crush Hyrule in a matter of days."

"Wait just a minute!"Rusl stepped in. "How do you know all this? You've only been here for an hour!"

"Midna has probably been keeping tabs on Hyrule, hasn't she?" Link said.

"That is correct, Link." Diana replied.

"But how?" Rusl demanded. "Even if this Twilight Princess managed to get to our Realm of Light, there's no way she could discover that much with such little time! Not unless they traveled the entire world of Hyrule in a matter of days!"

"In a matter of seconds, to be more precise," Link said. "There are several warp points scattered all across the major parts of Hyrule. Midna and I used to use them during my adventures with her in order to travel great distances. I'm sure she used them to check out how Hyrule was doing. Diana, I've got another question."

"Speak, although I'm sure you already know the answer to it."

"You said the Twilight Council has been thirsty for power. Not only that, but the Mirror of Twilight isn't the only gateway between our two realms. If that's the case, why haven't the Twilight Council attacked Hyrule sooner? The longer they wait, the less chance they have in conquering Hyrule, however small."

This time, Diana fidgeted on her feet. "There has been…a mistake. Originally, no one except the members of the Twilight Royal Family ever knew about the second gate way…the back door, as they called it. In order to keep the back door to the Realm of Light a secret, the Twilight Royal Family were sworn into an oath of secrecy, and vowed to never use the back door…ever. It was to hide its existence."

"But Midna used it, didn't she?"

"She did. Princess Midna…was worried. She has been plagued by a series of nightmares for the past nights…nightmares concerning you…Hero. Thus, she used the second gateway to enter you realm, just to confirm that you were in good health. After that, she used the warp points you spoke of to see the condition of Hyrule before returning to the Twilight Realm."

Now this surprised Link. Midna had come to the Realm of Light to see if he was okay? He felt warmth blossom in his chest, and decided that their reunion wouldn't involve pinches and knuckles. Well…maybe a poke to her forehead for over exaggerating a few stupid mistakes he made.

"However, that was a mistake," Diana continued. "The Twilight Council saw Princess Midna use the second gate, and have then been hell-bent on claiming it. They even started a civil war against her. Those loyal to Princess Midna lessen by the day, while those supporting the Twilight Council increase by the hour. A week after the Twilight Council discovered the second gateway, Princess Midna was forced to send the gateway to the Realm of Light, where it can be protected and kept out of their reach."

"S-S-Send it here?" Hanch, Beth's father, stuttered.

"So the gateway is also an item, like the Mirror of Twilight? A sort of handheld device that opens the way between our realms?" Link asked. "I'm guessing Midna gave it to you and had you bring it here?"

Diana shook her head. "No…not exactly. Yes, the gateway is an item, and yes, it is here in the Realm of Light."

"So you have it on you? I saw you holding something in your cloak from before," Colin said, pointing at Diana's cloaked chest.

"This?" Diana said, reaching into her cloak to pull out a small necklace. "No, this is merely a trinket a very close friend gave to me when she was young. Princess Midna in fact, but it is not the gateway."

"Is the gateway the cloak you're wearing?" Rusl said, eyeing Diana's overly large cloak that covered every part of her body expect for the front of her pale face.

"No. This is simply a traveling cloak gifted to me by Princess Midna."

"Then spit it out already! What else did you bring with you!" Rusl shouted.

"Nothing. But fret not, for the second gateway is already before your eyes."

Everyone was perplexed. No one understood what Diana was saying. No one except Link. The moment he gave it some thought, the answer was obvious. He stared at Diana with a new light in his eyes, and from the way Diana smiled gently at Link, he knew that she knew he had stumbled on the truth.

"I am the second gateway. I am Diana Keg'Mondir, the Avatar of the Twilight Royal Family, the Treasure of the Twilight Realm, the Blessing of the Dark Gods, and the Ripper of Time and Space.

"I am the Twilight Blade."

* * *

Yay, 4th chapter of Legend of Zelda, Twilight Blade is up! Woo-hoo, I posted ch4 for both my stories on the same day. I almost feel proud of myself.

Like always, enjoy, comment about anything, and look forward to the next chapter.


	5. Chapter 5, Poke

**Chapter 5**

**Poke**

Certainly, it astonished Diana that the Hero of Time was a human with a brain, but even Twili pigs lived in better conditions than him. The small gathering of humans whom Diana had told her story to had decided to disperse and rest for the night, and Diana had been forced into Link's care by the fat man everyone called Mayor Bo. Now that Diana was inside the den the Hero of Time called home, she knew that she was going to suffer a long and painful night.

The legendary items Princess Midna had told her so fondly about were scattered across the room like common household items. The fabled Dominion Rod that had been used to defeat the Twilit Arachnid Armogohma was chair-leg substitute. The mythical Spinner used on the Twilit Fossil Stallord was being utilized as a cooking pan. The magical Gale Boomerang used to defeat the Twilit Parasite Diababa was a make shift kitchen knife. Every legendary artifact of the Realm of Light that Diana had always longed to see were being desecrated before her eyes.

"You're insufferable!" was the first thing Diana managed to say.

"Right, right. Don't trip on that bomb, you could blow yourself up," Link replied. Diana jumped in fright when her toe tapped the side of a circular explosive, but breathed in relief when it didn't explode.

"You may not be a brute, but you most certainly are a slob," Diana grumbled, navigating her way from one death trap to another. "Did you defeat the mighty Ganondorf with wits and steel, or did you poison him with a lethal fungi cultivated in an unwashed pair of socks."

"Instead of stabbing, maybe this will do," Link muttered. Diana turned and nearly jumped out of her cloak; Link was holding the Ball and Chain in his hands, swinging it experimentally in Diana's direction. Princess Midna had told Diana that a single blow from the Ball and Chain could shatter boulders the size of houses. "You won't die if this hits you, will you?"

"You barbarian! I can hardly believe Princess Midna had the self restraint and will power to ally herself with you!" Diana shouted, backing herself up to the wall.

Link chuckled as he dropped the Ball and Chain, causing the entire tree house to shudder. "Believe me, when I first met Midna, I was determined to turn her into a doggy chew toy. But still, we eventually began to understand one another and formed a mutual friendship."

"One-sided, delusional friendship, perhaps."

"Instead of finding ways to constantly insult me, shouldn't we be thinking of a way to help Midna?" Link asked, rummaging through his room, searching for whatever blasted item buried and disrespected beneath heaps of trash.

"Help? The Princess? Why would Princess Midna require your assistance?"

"You said before that the Twilight Council wanted you, the Twilight Blade, to make their way to the Realm of Light. Well, they'll know that the five warriors they sent were defeated when they never return. Once that happens, they'll do whatever they can and want in order to find another way into the Realm of Light."

Diana scoffed at the idea. "That is impossible. I am the last remaining link that connects our realm, and while I am in one realm, they are in the other. They cannot reach me."

"Believe me on this. Desperate people, Twili included, take very desperate measures."

Diana folded her arms. "Such as?"

"Is there anyone who you care about? Anyone at all?"

"If you're suggesting that the two of us form a relationship to better our understanding of one another, I must refuse!"

The Hero of Time looked like he was aging thirty years. "Answer the question."

"Princess Midna, naturally." Diana replied promptly.

"And where is Midna now?"

"In the Twilight Realm. Princess Midna refused to leave her subjects and retainers to the cruelty of the Twilight Council, so she stayed behind."

"And who's to say that Twilight Council won't be cruel to her?"

Diana's eyes widened, and a pit formed in her stomach; she realized what Link was getting at. "You can't be suggesting that the Twilight Council will harm Princess Midna in order to force me to go back to the Twilight Realm!"

"Now she gets it. And she was insulting my intelligence before."

Diana jumped from the wall, holding out her hand and determined to open a pathway to the Twilight Realm. "I must return to Princess Midna's side!" But before Diana could muster the proper concentration to create the pathway, Link closed the distance between the two of them with a single stride and poked her hard in the forehead with his index finger.

Diana head bobbled back and forth. She felt stunned, staring at Link in disbelief. Determined to ignore the human, Diana raised her hand once more and concentrated.

_Poke!_

"Ow!"

_Poke! Poke! Poke!_

"Ow! Ow! Ow! What are you doing?"

"Stopping you from falling into the Twilight Council's hands, of course," Link replied simply, lifting his finger like a lethal weapon, poised to strike Midna once more.

"I can see _and_ feel that!" Diana snapped. "What I want to know is why you're stopping me? Aren't you friends with the princess? Don't you want to save her? Or, does she mean so little to—!" Diana stopped herself midsentence. Link hadn't poked her, nor had he stepped forward to stop her. Instead, he was looking down at her with such an expression of sheer pain and worry and Diana could feel her own heart throb. Of course Link was worried for Princess Midna; regardless of what Diana said or felt towards the disrespectful Hero of Time, Link and Princess Midna were the closest of friends. Link was also in terrible angish at the very thought of what the Twilight Council could do to Midna, but at least he knew that recklessly charging into the Twilight Realm to save her was not the answer.

Diana leaned back against the wall once more and slipped to her knees, hugging her small frame. "I'm sorry. I was too emotional."

Link's expression softened into one of kindness. "I can understand. One day, everything seems and appears normal, and the next moment your entire world is turned upside down, and you find yourself in a foreign world. Believe me, I know how it feels."

Diana nodded, feeling rather ashamed with her previous actions. "But what can we do? We cannot leave Princess Midna at the hands of the Twilight Council."

"Of course we can't, we're going to rescue her."

Diana's head snapped up to stare at Link. "What?"

"We can't just charge in, unprepared, and land right in the Twilight Council's hands, but we can prepare for the worst and enter the Twilight Realm when we're set and ready."

Diana bolted to her feet. "How? What must we do?"

"Like I said, prepare for the worst. For starters, I need to tell Zelda what's happening. If we enter the Twilight Realm and fail to rescue Midna, at least Hyrule will be ready for an invasion. Secondly, I need to know more about your powers so that I can make the best use of them. Third, if we're going to face more warriors from the Twilight Realm, I'll need a suitable weapon. I don't think using a wooden sword and twig on a thousand Twilight Warriors will suffice."

Diana paused. She was a weapon. She was a blade that could tear apart Twilight Warriors with fluid ease. However, she hated being wielded as a blade. As a sword, she was a being with no freedom, a killing tool that could only obey its master's reckless impulses, no matter how cruel or inhuman they were. It was an experience Diana refused to experience again. But Princess Midna needed her help, she needed Link's help, and Link needed a weapon.

"I-I could…be your…"

"Rejected."

Link's refusal astonished Diana more than she thought was possible. "Wait, why?"

"I saw the look on your face when I used you for the first time. I don't know if you realized it, but you seemed absolutely terrified. If changing yourself into a sword frightens you so badly, then you don't need to force yourself. Besides, there's another weapon that I had in mind that should work perfectly against the Twili."

"What would that be?"

"The Master Sword, of course."


	6. Chapter 6, Swinging in the Forest

**Chapter 6**

**Swinging in the Forest**

"You left the Master Sword in a forest?" Diana demanded, panting to keep up with Link's long strides with her own short legs.

"Why wouldn't I? I didn't think I'd ever use it again," Link replied, clearing aside some underbrush as he walked so that Diana would have an easier time keeping pace with him.

"It seems ridiculous! To have a treasure such as the Evil Destroying Blade left to rust in the middle of some forest!" Diana said, tripping over a few protruding tree roots. "This infernal dress you gave me is hampering my motor movements!"

Honestly, all Diana had done since this morning was complain, complain, complain. She complained about how Link was using his priceless artifacts people would die for as house hold appliances. She complained about the cluster of undusted items within his basement that had been untouched for years and could have contained an untold number of lethal viruses. She complained about how Link's clothes smelled of goat milk and demanded that he change into his green Hero attire. She complained about how he used Prince Ralis's earring as a teaspoon when he should be worshipping its royal lineage, to which Link argued, "Hey! Ralis was using this earring as fishing bait before he gave it to me! I'd say its social status went up!"

What Diana really complained about, however, was the heat. Link hadn't stayed in the Twilight Realm long enough to notice, but he guessed that local temperatures in the Twilight Realm were different than in the Realm of Light. All it took was three minutes in the sunshine for Diana to be swimming in her own sweat, tucked beneath her needlessly long Twili cloak. Link had coaxed her into wearing something more suitable: a thin white dress and blouse that used to belong to Uli when she was a child, and a simple cloth headdress from Beth to cover Diana vibrate red hair. Diana protested vehemently, saying that such revealing clothes did not go well with her pale skin. In the end, Link used the Dominion Rod and ordered the puppet clothes to attack Diana. It was a messy job, but got Diana to change clothes nonetheless.

"I thought the Dominion Rod only worked on statues," Diana grumbled after being attacked by her own clothes.

"Practice and out of the basket thinking," was Link's reply. After Diana was suitably dressed for warmer weather, Link tried to get her to ride Epona, but Diana complained that Epona smelled too much like guardian spring water, leaving no choice but for Link and Diana to travel on foot.

"I could have fetched the Master Sword on my own, you know," Link said, helping Diana back to her feet.

"Perhaps, but it is my duty to aid you in any manner possible."

"Liar. You just want to see the Master Sword's resting place and pedestal for yourself."

"There's that too," Diana mumbled. "Tell me more about yourself, Link."

Link pushed aside a low hanging branch long enough for Diana to walk past it. "Why the sudden interest in my personal life?"

"My knowledge of you extends only to Princess Midna's personal judgment of you, which have so far turned out to be slightly inaccurate. I wish to hear the story of your life from the source. And, should I learn any embarrassing secrets about you, I know exactly how to blackmail you into doing my bidding."

Link laughed. "After hearing that, what makes you believe I'll tell you anything?"

"Because of your irresistible urge to flaunt your superiority."

"Another description given to you by Midna?" Link said with a smirk.

Diana smirked back. "No, it's my own, personal opinion."

"Alright then. I'll say one fact about myself, and you'll say one solid fact about yourself. No lying is allowing, agreed?" Link said, helping Diana over a rather large tree root.

"Very well, you shall start."

"I'm seventeen years old."

"I cry foul!" Diana protested. "I gain no greater insight to who you are from such a measly bit of information!"

Link shrugged. "A fact is a fact. Your turn."

"Very well! I myself am 6,534,732,686 years old."

Link gave Diana a critical eye; she looked no longer than six. "We did agree upon no lies."

"That we did, and I have followed your rule's parameters." Diana said firmly.

"Fine then. I'm the next popular candidate for mayor of Ordon Village."

"I am the Twilight Blade, the only sword in existence that can create a pathway between the Realm of Light and the Twilight Realm."

"Didn't you already tell me that before?"

Diana smiled. "A fact is a fact, no?"

Link grinned back. "Alright, alright. Get on my back."

"That is no fact."

"No, I'm telling you to get on my back," Link said patiently. They had reached the Forest Temple of Ordon Woods, a massive tree supporting itself by connecting its branches to other trees while remaining stationary over a crater with no seeable bottom. Link knew a short cut to the Master Sword's resting place, but that required crossing that seemingly bottomless crater.

"Very well, but it is your turn to say a fact," Diana said, scampering onto Link's back and wrapping her small arms around Link's neck. Link reached into his mystical pouch and pulled out his Double Clawshots. With the two grappling claws in his hands, he jumped towards the bottomless crater, shooting one of his clawshots into a nearby tree and swinging forward. He repeated the process over and over again, until he was traveling through the forest, swinging from clawshot to clawshot, at a rate Ook, the big boss monkey of the forest, would be proud of.

"I defeated Ganondorf, the Demon Thief!"

"Ancient history! I am Princess Midna's childhood friend and closest companion!" Diana shouted from her mouth, buried in Link's back.

"I won the S.T.A.R. games run by Purlo of Hyrule Market, the games that no one else could beat!"

"It must have been run by a nanny older than me for that to happen! I am the fastest clothes knitter in all of the Twilight Realm!"

"Yeah, because all old people knit! I'm the undefeated marksman of Hyrule! Whether it's by bow or slingshot, no one has a greater aim than me!"

"You must have been challenge by boys not yet out of their diapers! I am the shortest Twili to have ever roamed in the Twilight Realm!"

Link didn't have a proper retort for that one, so he continued onto the facts. "I've gone snowboarding with Yetis and won!"

"Ha! Maybe if such mythical creatures existed, I'd believe you! I'm the undefeated champion at poking holes in bread!"

For several reasons, Link couldn't find a retort to that one either. "I've defeated a killer poison swamp planet, a flaming Goron, a giant electric eel, a massive revived skeleton, a possessed Yeti, a giant spider, and a black dragon!"

"Any half-decent hero should have that much tucked under their belts! I was once able to eat my way through the entire stock of the Twili Royal Castle's food during one of my depressive moods!"

Diana's "facts" were starting to feel a little gloomy. Link decided to change tactics. "I never wanted to be a hero, just being a simple village boy was fine with me."

"Ha, weak! I've always wanted to see the world! I wanted to get out of that dreary castle and see what was beyond its walls!" Diana declared.

"So you've been locked up your entire life?" Link asked.

"Hey, that's not a fact! No cheating!"

"It's a simple question," Link said, spotting their destination and changing direction midswing. He unlatched the claws of his Double Clawshots and landed on firm ground. Diana slipped off his back, and Link watched as Diana comically did her best to prevent herself from kissing the ground.

"Fine, it's true," Diana eventually replied, standing to her feet and dusting off his dress. "I've been locked up in the castle my entire life. That's why I've got such boring life facts. You happy?"

"No," Link replied, placing his Double Clawshots back into his pouch. "The Master Sword is just over there. Why were you locked up?" Link asked, leading the way as he walked towards a clearing.

"What did you expect? I'm the Twilight Blade! Anyone can bend me to their will and then use my ability for their own reasons! The Twilight Royal Family had to protect me from outsiders after the first fiasco!"

"Bend you to their will? Didn't you turn into a sword all on your own last time?"

Diana grumbled. "Yes, I can transform on my own if I want to. But if someone touches me and then…then _wills_ me to become a blade, my body acts on its own and transforms. They can also force me to open portals leading to different realms if they so wish. You don't know what it's like, having a body that can betray you with the slightest touch and at the slightest thought, having someone impose their will on you, stripping your freedom and forcing you to do terrible things. It's like seeing the world pass by in a cage, watching as your container does things you cannot bear to see."

"You're right, I don't know what that's like. Sounds like the last person who used you wasn't the nicest guy," Link said, stepping into the small, run down remains of a once mighty temple. He walked past a pair of armed statues and up a slightly inclined pathway.

"He was a jerk, that's for sure," Diana said. Her pale features were scrunched up into a ghastly painful expression. "I don't even want to tell you the things he used me for. Just know that I never want to be used like that again, not by him, not by you, not by anyone."

"Well, don't worry about me trying to bend your will," Link said, walking into the circular clearing of the Master Sword's pedestal, where the iridescent blade was posted magnificently in the center. "I don't know what it's like, having your free will broken like that, but I can tell it's painful, and you rather not talk about it. Just know that I'll never do something like that to you."

"Thanks…I think. But you already took away my free will once." Diana said.

Link paused his steps. "Really, when?"

Diana pointed at her Ordonian clothes. "When you had these pieces of fabric attack me with your Dominion Rod, a clear violation of my rights. I should have you arrested." Diana teased, releasing a smile on her face.

"Well, I'll keep that in mind," Link said, grasping the handle of the Master Sword and pulling it from its pedestal. He could feel the pure aura emanating from the Evil Destroying Blade as the handle fit perfectly in the palm of his hand. This was no wooden stick; if another Royal Twilight Warrior darned to attack him, a single swing from this sword would end their days.

"Well, guess we'd better head over to Hyrule Castle now," Link said, sheathing the Master Sword onto his back. "Fun fact about me, I hate pickles."

"Quiet random, but interesting none the less. I hate cheese. Awful stuff."


End file.
